


Cloud Burst

by misura



Category: The Covenant (2006)
Genre: Community: lands_of_magic, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 13:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5418299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caleb takes it upon himself to fix Chase. Chase is appropriately grateful (which is to say: not particularly).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cloud Burst

Chase regained consciousness in a room that looked very much like his idea of hell (or possibly some other unpleasant version of the afterlife) except that it also had Caleb in it.

Granted, it was a fully dressed, wholly pissed off looking Caleb, sitting in what looked to be the most ancient comfy chair in the room, but still.

"If my available choices are death or life-long imprisonment, I believe I'll opt for cake - which is to say: death," Chase said. "Unless I'm grossly misreading the situation, in which case: hi. Was last night as good for you as it was for me?"

Caleb scowled. "Your choices are to get clean or to get clean."

"Oh." Chase sniffed. "Sorry, you're right - that _is_ me. Dare I hope that appearances are deceiving and that this house does, in fact, have an only slightly outdated bathroom? Say, a mere two, three decades old?"

"You know what I mean," Caleb said, which was a perfectly fine response: stern and firmly establishing who was boss here, except then he spoilt it by adding, "But yeah, the bathroom's pretty modern."

"Caleb." Chase sighed. "Caleb, Caleb, Caleb. Trust me when I say that while you can do a _lot_ of things with the Power - a lot of fun, dirty and outright sick things, you cannot use it to read someone's mind. Or change it, for that matter. Which is a tragedy, clearly."

Caleb's expression suggested Chase was alone in this opinion. "You're an addict. You need help."

"Spare me," Chase said.

"I did," Caleb replied, rising. "Don't make me regret that decision."

"Have you _met_ me?" Chase asked, because this? This was fucked up, even by _his_ standards. "Besides, you already do. Don't kid yourself, Caleb. You hate me."

"I don't hate you." Caleb paused in the door, perfectly poised to get in the last word. "I feel sorry for you, that's all. Try not to break _every_ piece of furniture in the house, all right?"

 

Chase didn't destroy the chair Caleb had sat in. Or much of anything, really.

He blew out every window he passed on his way to the stairs, to the door. There was nothing stopping him, not a single spell to keep him from walking outside.

It was, of course, raining.

On reflection, Chase supposed he might have a look around for that bathroom, and then some food, maybe. A book, perhaps, or something else to while away the time until Caleb'd return so that Chase could steal his car and get out of here.

 

Caleb arrived the very next day, bearing food and clothes.

"I have rights, you know," Chase said. "I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to torture me."

Caleb grimaced. "It's your size. I checked. Still, if you're convinced it's not going to fit, I can take it back. No need to make a drama out of it."

"I thrive on drama. And murder. And other things your parents probably warned you against."

"You seriously need a new hobby," Caleb said. "Heck, you need a new _life_."

Chase smirked. "Is that an offer? You know, I did have fun playing with you. Do you ever dream about that time I pinned you down on the bathroom floor? Do you ever wonder what might have happened if I hadn't just chastely kissed you on the cheek?"

"No to all of that. And it wasn't that chaste."

"It was compared to what I actually wanted to do," Chase said.

Caleb looked him straight in the eye. "Bullshit."

 

By rights, on the third day, Chase should have been going out of his mind with boredom. At the very least, he should have rearranged most of the furniture and possibly the house itself.

Caleb might be an annoying, bull-headed goody two-shoes, but he hadn't been wrong about one thing: Chase was, indeed, an addict.

(He might, possibly, also have been right about the kissing thing, only that had been a matter of expediency, of 'not right here, right now'. It hadn't had anything to do with _scruples_.)

 

"It's not going to last," Chase said. "Say you get me un-addicted. Gold star for you, many congratulations, all bow down in admiration of the magnanimous and awesome Caleb Danvers. Then what?"

Caleb shrugged. "You leave town and I never hear from you again."

"Or else you'll come and find me? You're right; that's definitely going to make me stop and think twice."

Chase figured that maybe he'd wait three, four hours. Five, if he happened across some decent restaurant - two, if he stumbled over some particularly deserving asshole.

Given the number of decent restaurants versus the number of assholes in this imperfect world, he'd probably be straight back here before Caleb could even _begin_ to miss him.

"What else am I supposed to do, huh?" Caleb demanded, and there was an edge of something in his voice. Something raw but still mostly hidden. "I'm not going to keep you here forever, like some sort of prisoner. I'm not like you; I don't _do_ that kind of stuff."

"Pft." Chase gestured dismissively. "You're suggesting there's actually a single person out there whom I'd find interesting enough to want to keep alive? I'm sorry, but I've got some pretty high standards."

"You haven't killed _me_ ," Caleb said, adding "Yet," before Chase could beat him to it.

"Ah, it'll happen soon enough. I'm just biding my time here, lulling you into a false sense of security."

 

It _was_ a false sense of security, too. Chase knew that if there was even the smallest chance of getting Caleb's Power, he'd grab it with both hands.

He didn't think he'd pass up a chance to get Reid's or Pogue's or even Tyler's, either.

Given the lack of visits and/or murder attempts, Caleb probably hadn't even told them he was still alive, which would make Chase showing up on their doorstep come as a nice surprise.

Now, if only it would stop raining long enough to get out without getting soaked.

 

"If you kill me, you'll never get my Power," Caleb said. He'd brought donuts, which did not leave Chase inclined to look kindly upon him.

They were very good donuts, too. "If I _don't_ kill you, I'll never get your Power either."

"Hey, it might happen," Caleb said, licking some icing off of his fingers. "It's not very likely, only that's not the same as it being completely impossible."

"You're right. I might need your Power to save the world. That'd probably do it."

"I'd definitely give up my Power if it meant saving the world," Caleb agreed blandly.

" _I_ wouldn't."

"I know. That doesn't make you a bad person," Caleb said. "Plenty of people wouldn't be willing to die to save someone else, or even _everyone_ else."

"The fact that you are doesn't make you a _good_ person. Just an idiot. And very annoying."

Caleb hm-hmed, as if Chase's opinion didn't really matter to him. "I've been thinking about going on a little trip, explore the world beyond Ipswich."

"I'm not going to miss you."

"Actually," Caleb said, "I wondered if you might want to come along."

"I'm touched. Honestly, Caleb, I had no idea you cared. You should have brought flowers or something - a ring, maybe. At least pretend you intend to make an honest man out of me."

"So that'd be a 'yes'?" Caleb asked.

Chase stared at him. "Bad things are going to happen. Well, bad by your definition, anyway. Mine's a bit more ... morally flexible."

"Probably, yeah," Caleb said. "So I figured it might be good not to be alone. I mean, I figure the two of us together are bound to be a match for pretty much anything."

Chase counted to ten. Slowly. "Can I buy some new shirts?"

"Buy," Caleb said quickly. "Not steal."

"I'm not sure it's stealing if the other guy's dead, but fine. You're paying, right? I'm pretty sure I'm broke."

"Well, then, when we get back, maybe we should try and find you a job."

"I think I'd make a very good assassin," Chase said. "It suits my natural air of mystery as well as my inner homicidal tendencies."

"Or we could just make it a really long roadtrip," Caleb said.


End file.
